Has it ever worked for you?
Apparently Noel Edmonds swears by it...
Another form of prayer?
wizard66 Wed 14/05/08 22:57
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I'd like to try it but I have trouble catching the waiter's eye
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Is it just a fancy name for positive thinking? Positive thinking always produces better results than pessimism.
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It is just another form of ‘hope’ and I wouldn’t deny anyone that right.
It isn’t too dissimilar to people connecting with nature and God (a god/s), so I would yes, it could be considered a form of prayer, since that originates from ‘request’ or ‘asking earnestly’.
Most people “pray” in some form or another – even atheists! - just that it is directed at various things, not necessarily God/a god/gods.
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I tried it once but it didn't work
I wrote "make Noel go away for ever" on a piece of paper and put it under my pillow.
In the morning when I read it the note said "No deal!"
:c(
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Well you see, being Christian you often get what you ask for.
But you don't always ask for what you want!
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Octavius, could you put in a god word for me please. ;-)
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Amen, Lo, Thus, Lord, Almighty, Heavenly Father.
Those words are quite 'Godly' words, which would you like?
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Perhaps you could organise a large scale pray to rid the world of cancer - it has the benefit of (probably) being selfless, so it's not like you're asking for yourselves, plus it'd would be a wonderful thing in it's own right, plus, since God is good, capable of hearing the prayer and capable of acting on it, a total no brainer.
He'd have to be either evil or non-existant to refuse.
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I do pray for people with cancer, even my dad who was taken from us quite suddenly.
I also pray that one day somebody in this world will have the knowledge and capacity to find a cure and to use it for the greater good. Amongst many other things of course.
I can't answer for God, maybe he isn't listening to me, or maybe he just can't help me or mankind at the moment as he allowing us free will to discover things for ourselves. Perhaps my prayers have worked for some people who have recovered from illness, perhaps not.
I don't have a problem accepting that sometimes my prayers may not be answered and that for many - including of my loved ones - that there time is up. It would be irrational of me to think that prayers were the answer to all my prayers.
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James 13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Seems to suggest it's not vague at all.
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Seems to suggest it's not vague at all.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
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Octavius, You pray, but you don't know if your god is listening? I find that so very sad - and I mean genuinely sad. You've brought a real tear to my eye. It sounds so hopeless somehow.
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Yes, ok. You seem to be affronted my capacity to pray.
Perhaps God does not look favourably upon me to answer my prayers. Still, no harm done to you by me praying is there.
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Matthew 21:21: I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Seems to suggest it's not vague at all.
Mark 11:24:Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Seems to suggest it's not vague at all.
Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Seems to suggest it's not vague at all.
In all those verses, it quite clearly states, without condition beyond faith, pray and it will be given. If I've misinterpreted those very clear passages, please indicate how.
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It really seems to be much more of an issue to you than it does for me. Hope is a factor in everyone's life, I never give up hope, so it is not hopeless.
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Octavius, I'm not sure if you're talking to me or Waldo, but I'll hop it for the time being. Just thought I'd tell you how your post affected me - and truly - it did.
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It's not an issue for me, that's kind of the point of being an atheist. I honestly don't understand how people square it.
Hope is great, but this is wishful thinking. We all need hope and positive mental attitude, but I couldn't fool myself into thinking that there was some being responding to my yearnings just because I wanted it to be true.
It would be a bit like you hoping your football team won something this year. You can hope all you like, but...
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Oops, cross posting. You're right, hope is a factor in everyone's life, but hope is not prayer.
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Ladies FA Cup Final, Waldo.
Back of the net.
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Another thought. I suppose it all boils down to whether we think we are self-sufficient or not. All the prayers in the world didn't save my parents, or my young sister, so on balance, I think I'd rather depend upon my own wits and come to terms with the consequences of life, rather than reply upon something that is unreliable.
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